Hamilton led his team-mate, Nico Rosberg, by 0.377s with Ferrari’sFernando Alonso almost a second behind. Hamilton has emphasised that he cannot slip up again this weekend as he sits 22 points behind Rosberg.

On current evidence he looks in awesome form and seems far more comfortable than the German around the Red Bull Ring, with Rosberg fighting the car around on his fast runs. Teams and drivers struggled to get to grips with the high-speed track all afternoon, with the last corner causing many drivers to run wide.

Williams look to be best of the rest as Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas showed consistent pace. Hosts, Red Bull were up to their usual tricks and languished in the midfield but you can guarantee they will be up to scratch come qualifying tomorrow.